Turkish Medical Association: Patents on vaccines must be lifted

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive

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The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) released a written statement yesterday (May 11) and said, "Patents Must Be Lifted!"

Addressing the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) and the World Medical Association (WMA) in its open call, the TTB emphasized, "Worldwide application of vaccines developed is of critical importance in terminating the COVID-19 pandemic. Every minute of delay in vaccinations means further spread of the disease at global scale and more lives lost."

"Intellectual property rights on vaccines and medicines pose a great barrier to access," noted the TTB, calling on the "WMA and national medical organizations to take initiative before authorized and influential national and international institutions for the lifting of patent rights."

The full statement of the TTB read as follows:

'Public institutions shared resources with companies'

"Worldwide application of vaccines developed is of critical importance in terminating the COVID-19 pandemic. Every minute of delay in vaccinations means further spread of the disease at global scale and more lives lost.

"Considering the seriousness of the situation and the global disaster faced, public institutions have shared their accumulated information and resources with private companies and transferred to these companies' public funds amounting to billions of dollars for 'quick solution funding', and as a result many vaccines have indeed been developed rapidly.

'Patent rights as a barrier'

"Efforts are now having to be waged for ensuring sufficient production of vaccines and global access to. At this point, however, patent rights are imposed as a barrier to access to vaccines.

"Yet, the global spread of the disease and ever-increasing cases of death testify to the presence of conditions for flexing the TRIPS Agreement and suspending patent protection as provided by the Doha Declaration of World Trade Organization (WTO).

"As a matter of fact, the US and the EU made statements supporting patent lifting while the World Health Organization applauded this stance. However, there is yet no definitive decision although the issue has been under discussion by the WTO since last October. Flexing patent protection will ensure the creation of a 'Patent Pool' and equal access to vaccines this way. Every minute lost means deaths that are condoned.

Call to take initiative

"The Turkish Medical Association (TTB) thus brings the following points to the attention of public and policy makers:

• Patenting of vaccines and medicines developed through public funding and with the participation of scientists and communities by private companies is not fair,
• Intellectual property rights on vaccines and medicines pose a great barrier to access,
• The great humanitarian crisis faced during the pandemic can be overcome only by lifting patent rights and enhancing the opportunities of production.

"The TTB also calls on the World Medical Association and national medical organizations to take initiative before authorized and influential national and international institutions for the lifting of patent rights." (EKN/SD)